In keeping with its promise, the opposition organized a second demonstration against the high cost of living on Monday this week. Similar to the earlier demonstration, this one descended into chaos, and if restraint is not used, it’s possible that tomorrow’s demonstration will as well.
To prevent protesters from entering the city center, there were ongoing conflicts between police personnel posted in key locations.
There was extensive usage of rockets and tear gas. Even though one protester was apparently shot dead by the police in Kisumu, both protestors were injured, which just goes to demonstrate how dangerously the nation is teetering on the verge of anarchy. As long as organizers are nonviolent and adhere to established protocol, demonstrations are permitted by the constitution.
Even if the opposition-organized rallies have been chaotic, it is difficult to identify who is to blame because, despite the government blaming the opposition, the opposition maintains that the government infiltrated its peaceful demonstrations and sent goons to cause mayhem. But there is no denying that our nation is teetering on the verge of anarchy. Before the monster we are feeding grows too large for us to handle, this craziness needs to end.
Significantly, the protests on Monday became ugly when goons broke into the Kenyattas’ Northland property in Ruiru, kidnapped valued sheep, felled eucalyptus trees, and eventually set fire to a portion of the farm. A number of damages were done when other thugs broke into Raila Odinga’s Spectre International business in Industrial Area.
It’s telling that these raids happened so soon after some politicians made inciting remarks about the possibility of an invasion of the Kenyatta and Raila properties if the opposition did not stop its protests. Considering that they occurred on the same day and practically simultaneously, the raids seemed to be well-planned. Numerous inquiries spring to mind right away: Who was responsible for these raids? At the time of the attacks, where were the police officers? Did the cops not learn about the invasions.
We urge that those responsible for the attack on the Kenyatta land and other properties across the nation be held accountable while also calling for discussion between the political rivals who beat each other on the chest.
Politicians who have made inciting remarks should be looked into to see if they followed through on their statements or if they were the inspiration for the attacks. In the interim, we request that the International Criminal Court maintain a watch on Kenya in case we need to take that step.